I cook, I sew, my beloved and I run our business from home. After more than 30 years of marriage, life is just about perfect. This is our corner of the world.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Almost Amygdalota

I saw this recipe a while back in Peter's excellent blog (which, by the way, is a place to avoid if you even think you might be hungry). I love almonds, my dearly beloved loves almonds, and, happiest of all, the children do NOT love almonds, which means that the love of my life could have all the cookies he wanted, maybe tossing a couple my way, without competition from the kids, especially the big boys, who are known to eat everything in sight!

Anyway, his procedure was a bit vague, so, like a dumbass, I just whipped the egg whites with the sugar, then dumped in the almonds, and the result is the somewhat shapeless mass you see here. Well, they were surprisingly filling, and absolutely fabulous, fabulous, fabulous! So, I plan to try these again really soon, and here's Peter's recipe, with how I'll proceed "next time".

AMYGDALOTA

4 egg whites1-1/2 cups sugar4 cups almonds4 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 325. Grease cookie sheets, then line with waxed or parchment paper (very important!) Grind the almonds to a fine powder in the food processor or blender.

Whip the egg whites until soft, then add the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, and almond extract, 1 tsp at a time, and whip until very stiff. FOLD IN the almonds. This was, I believe, my error, because Peter told me to beat everything together until stiff. My egg whites went soggy when I added the almonds, so, Peter, if I should not fold in the almonds, but beat them for, say 10 minutes, and that will solve my problem, please tell me. I digress. Anyway, put little mounds of "dough" on the cookie sheets, and, if desired, top with a slivered almond slice (which I didn't do). Put in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until th edges are dried and the cookies are very light beige. Remove the paper or foil from the cookie sheet to a wire cooling tray, and let them cool completely. Then they will peel off very nicely. (That was the part I actually got right!) This recipe made about 3 dozen, and I intend to make more the next time I get my paws on almonds. Peter, dear, kind sir, another wonderful creation, even if I botched it a bit! My picture is how these cookies should not look, but I will post again if I make them prettier next time. And, Paula, try these for Little Miss. They are surprisingly filling, and, did I say that they are delicious? Thanks for the recipe, Peter; see, not only do I drool over your food, I even cook it sometimes!

3 comments:

I think I've had these! It was a long time ago, though. I remember something with a little almond in the middle. They were good! Thanks for the heads up for my gluten free kiddo, of course she'd have to fight off the rest of us to get her share ... :-)

FYI: Rec'd our Calvert box today. I hope to find time to post about it later!

Peter, they were fabulous! My dearly beloved ate the last 5 this morning, and then told me that the problem with this recipe is that it's too small. Trust me, I'll try it again. You did say this is your Mom's recipe, right? Tell her I said thanks for giving it out, too!

Paula, #3 will love them. And they are much more filling than you would think. Look forward to hearing about your Calvert box, too!

About Me

With 9 children and an English Mastiff, life is never dull. Or is it? Like Ozzie and Harriet, we don't do anything "in particular", don't have any huge problems, and life goes on in our little corner of the world.